ABC show suggests we should stop using phrase ‘It ain’t over till the fat lady sings’

The ABC has been slammed for hypersensitivity after airing a segment which suggested Australians should stop using a popular phrase.

The saying ‘It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings’ refers to opera, as the final aria was often sung by a large female performer, but the taxpayer-funded media organisation said it could not be considered as offensive to larger people. 

ABC’s What is Music presenter Linda Marigliano questioned the ‘relevance’ of the phrase due to its political incorrectness. 

The saying ‘It ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings’ was accused by the tax-payer funded organisation as being offensive to larger people but they were slammed by critics online (pictured)

The ABC video was viewed more than 75,000 and slammed by hundreds of people who claimed it was ‘entirely neutral’ and the program shouldn’t ‘assume ones gender’ (pictured)

‘Considering the fat shaming nature of the phrase, I reckon we should be using the equally confusing but slightly more simple “it ain’t over ’til it’s over”,’ Ms Marigliano said. 

The ABC video was viewed more than 75,000 times and slammed by hundreds of people who claimed it was ‘entirely neutral’.

‘How is it fat shaming? If people said “it ain’t over until the short lady sings” nobody’s panties would be in a twist. Fat is just an adjective. If you’re fat and you don’t like being described as fat, you’re a pain in the a***,’ one person wrote online.

‘It’s not a fat shaming phrase, it has historical significance … it isn’t going anywhere. If she’d be thin and had red hair and most people didn’t know her name it’d likely have been “until the redhead sings”,’ another shared.

‘Shouldn’t it be fat person ABC News? Don’t assume one’s gender,’ someone said.

‘These days it’s hard to know if “fat” or “lady” is the more offensive,’ another questioned.

The colloquial term was coined in 1976 during an intense basketball final in America where sports information director Ralph Carpenter threw the saying into the commentary.

The phrase refers to the stereotypically overweight sopranos of the opera and in particular, the powerful female figure – known as valkyrie Brunnhilde – in Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen from 1874.   

Daily Mail Australia has contacted ABC News for comment. 

Many questioned how ‘was it fat shaming’ and suggested if it was about a ‘short lady’ no one would have an issue with the terminology (pictured)

One person explained the phrase had historical significance and wasn’t ‘going anywhere’